Synonyms of cons

cons 1 of 4

noun (1)

plural of con

as in prisoners

a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence

a program to help ex-cons find employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prisoners
• convicts
• inmates
• jailbirds
• trusties
• parolees
• captives
• lifers
• internees
• captures
• probationers

cons

2 of 4

noun (2)

plural of con

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scams
• frauds
• swindles
• hustles
• devices
• schemes
• shell games
• fiddles
• hoaxes
• tricks
• stings
• buncos
• flimflams
• rackets
• pyramid schemes
• Ponzi schemes
• fixes
• stratagems
• counterfeits
• sleights
• crosses
• wiles
• dodges
• rip-offs
• gimmicks
• phonies
• fakes
• jigs
• ploys
• thimblerigs
• forgeries
• shams
• three-card montes
• humbug

cons

3 of 4

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of con

1

as in studies

to commit to memory

usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

Synonyms & Similar Words

• studies
• learns
• memorizes
• knows
• remembers
• understands
• grasps
• retains
• accepts
• recalls
• thinks (of)
• minds
• harks back (to)
• gets
• comprehends
• recollects
• absorbs
• digests
• relives
• apprehends
• reminisces (about)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forgets
• ignores
• neglects
• passes over
• disregards
• overlooks
• unlearns
• slurs (over)
• disremembers
• slights
• misremembers
• overpasses

2

as in reviews

to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition)

seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reviews
• scans
• examines
• surveys
• inspects
• views
• audits
• watches
• scrutinizes
• analyzes
• goes over
• checks (out)
• oversees
• studies
• overlooks
• explores
• notices
• investigates
• dissects
• researches
• probes
• combs
• pores (over)
• peruses
• parses
• categorizes
• classifies
• observes
• delves (into)
• plumbs
• picks over
• reinspects
• rereviews
• resurveys

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• misses
• glances (at or over)
• skims

cons

4 of 4

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of con

1

as in hustles

to rob by the use of trickery or threats

a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hustles
• cheats
• squeezes
• plucks
• stings
• tricks
• sticks
• beats
• does
• screws
• swindles
• suckers
• deceives
• cozens
• shakes down
• fleeces
• shorts
• bleeds
• rips off
• mulcts
• bilks
• defrauds
• gaffs
• fiddles
• victimizes
• shortchanges
• skins
• exploits
• reams
• rooks
• chouses
• diddles
• chisels
• skunks
• stiffs
• fools
• hoses
• flimflams
• euchres
• thimblerigs
• nobbles
• does in
• takes to the cleaners
• betrays
• sells a bill of goods to
• wrenches
• takes for a ride
• clips
• extorts
• dupes
• milks
• nicks
• gouges
• overcharges
• wrings
• soaks
• gulls
• wrests
• bitches
• ropes (in)
• double-crosses
• bamboozles
• fast-talks

2

as in tricks

to cause to believe what is untrue

tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tricks
• fools
• deceives
• kids
• dupes
• strings along
• suckers
• teases
• juggles
• cozens
• deludes
• hoodwinks
• fakes out
• hoaxes
• gaffs
• humbugs
• gulls
• misleads
• bluffs
• misinforms
• has on
• takes in
• cheats
• spoofs
• bamboozles
• misguides
• sucks in
• stings
• snookers
• snows
• does a number on
• hornswoggles
• has
• leads one down the garden path
• beguiles
• buffaloes
• gammons
• burns
• catches
• pulls one's leg
• swindles
• pulls the wool over one's eyes
• hustles
• sticks
• fleeces
• mulcts
• defrauds
• puts on
• shortchanges
• flimflams
• skins
• bleeds
• rooks
• chisels
• diddles
• euchres
• squeezes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reveals
• exposes
• debunks
• shows up
• uncovers
• unmasks
• discloses
• undeceives
• tells
• divulges
• unveils
• uncloaks
• disillusions
• disenchants
• disabuses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cons

Noun

Jonathan Curtiss Sherman Oaks Pros and cons The WNBA has seen a very positive increase the last few years in viewership, ratings and salaries, which is good for them. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Hennion and Walsh will advise you regarding the pros and cons of different issues of individual municipal bonds, as well as the pros and cons of municipal bond funds as opposed to the purchase of individual municipal bonds. — Elliot Raphaelson, The Orlando Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2026

Align probiotic cons Align probiotics are relatively expensive compared to many other probiotic brands. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Staffers from various teams bounce ideas back and forth and discuss the pros and cons of each option. — Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 Aug. 2026

The national conversation around surveillance cameras and personal privacy has grown as Americans debate the pros and cons of cameras used by law enforcement throughout their communities. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026

Ahead, hear from hairstylists and trichologists to find out more about the pros and cons of using castor oil for hair growth and how to work it into your routine. — Nicole Catanese, InStyle, 12 Aug. 2026

The music industry has been wrestling with the pros and cons of the new technology that allows musical novices to create professional-sounding songs in seconds. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Buddie’s other concern about pending college sports legislation Buddie has been on the job long enough to live the pros and cons working for a small, private school in major college athletics. — Mac Engel august 7, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Aug. 2026

Verb

Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish. — Literary Hub, 19 May 2026